Not practical and not what you are looking for, but an interesting take: if you view today's NFTs through the lens of Gamification (or the desire to amass Fake Internet Points) or through an entertainment/celebrity lens then these things provide a sense of status to others that also give credence to that idea.

Kind of like sports: the winner of a sporting event doesn't practically matter, it's just entertainment, but fans can feel extreme emotion from a win or loss, and many people form part of their identity around a team.

That said, entertainment itself is practical and necessary, and had been around longer than our modern financial systems, so maybe it does answer your request !

I do still think crypto will eat the world in every way it can, even if it shouldn't.